The Self-Promoting Musician by Peter Spellman Review

THE CONTENT

The Self-Promoting Musician is a Berklee Music Guide now in its third edition (2013). In the book, Peter Spellman offers readers advice on how to approach one’s music career with a do-it-yourself attitude. Geared towards self-managed musicians, the book includes sections on social media strategy, getting the most out of your gigs, pursue radio airplay, and keeping your career organized.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

The sections that I found interesting in this book were:

Spellman’s discussion of the segmentation of the music market and how the music industry is shifting away from big successes to modest successes in more segmented genres.

How finding one’s niche just doesn’t mean “jazz saxophonist” it means that the specific style of jazz you play needs to be tacked onto your identity.

The importance of improving skills beyond those that you have on your instrument (overcoming shyness, telephone skills, etc.).

Overall I found The Self-Promoting Musician to be an informative resource and I would recommend it. Like most music business books available on the market, there is a lot of information included that can be somewhat repetitive. But things like the detailed business plan included in this book can be extremely helpful.

Shannon Kennedy is a vocalist and saxophonist living in Southern California. She is author of "The Album Checklist" and the founder of Teen Jazz. She has been contributing articles to music magaizines and websites since 2004.

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